SNHU MKT 555 Blog Two
Pamela Ten Eyck

Cancer is no laughing matter! However, sometimes, laughter is the best option…especially when it comes to social media. When discussing life’s tough issues and having the need to spread awareness, fun and creative tactics may be the best method of getting the word out via social media.

The Viral Campaign

Years ago Facebook became one of the ways of spreading awareness during National Breast Cancer Awareness month. This was done by sending private messages to women to create status posts with certain requirements. An example of a post was, women were to post their name and the color of their bra.  Their status would read something like: “Melissa, beige”, or “Rebecca, red”. Another example was women were to insert where they like to keep their purse, into the statement, “I like it ____”.  The post would read something like, “I like it on the kitchen island”. Perfectly innocent, however, risqué.

People like for others to know they are associated with good causes or charities, and on social media these emotional appeals spread and become viral quickly. All was well in the fun of spreading breast cancer awareness. These posts prompted women to post on their wall, and they knew it was National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Cyberactivism worked! Or did it?

What Went Wrong

There was no call to action, and there was no explanation for those that did not receive the private messages. While there were a lot of women that did receive the National Breast Cancer Awareness private messages, there was no information for them to learn about the importance of routine checkups, or to get involved in any other way.

Some people were a bit annoyed that men were intentionally excluded. The private messages specifically requested women not to respond to men who inquired about the post. While the posts created a buzz throughout Facebook, it did nothing to include men, who are susceptible to breast cancer as well. And, it did nothing to publicly support or promote breast cancer awareness.

How to Make it Better

Creatively convincing people to post to their Facebook wall is fantastic! However, if there had been real-world action and dissemination of valuable information, it would have been better! If the strategy had involved a process such as sending a private message to women that included specific information regarding breast cancer with a link to a landing page containing specific information, a form to donate to a breast cancer charity, access to information and resources, along with ways to get involved in their specific location, it would have been phenomenal. The landing page could have had a retargeting pixel that served up additional information or messaging throughout Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The strategy could have extended to include men, by sending a private message to them when they had asked about the women’s posts. This private message could have requested men to post something specific on their wall, further extending the messaging privately while including important information regarding male breast cancer with a link back to a landing page specific to male breast cancer information, a form to donate, access to resources and ways to get involved in their communities to support breast cancer awareness. A retargeting pixel could have been included on the male landing page that would allow for additional specific information and messaging regarding breast cancer in males.

This process calls for action, provides an opportunity to donate, and allows to privately disseminate vital information about breast cancer, while extending the messaging all month long. Participants could share the retargeting messages, even further extending the campaign’s reach. In providing an input form on the landing page, organizations could have been able to collect contact information for additional email messaging thereafter.

Take Action

Cancer is no laughing matter. Breast Cancer is #UNACCEPTABLE. Learn more about breast cancer and how you can take action at: komen.org

Your social engagement is greatly appreciated!